1. Field of the Invention
Combined Can Opening and Sealing Device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous liquid products are currently sold in containers having cylindrical side walls and circular ends. Sucn containers are normally opened by forming two spaced openings in one end thereof, with liquid when the container is tilted in an appropriate manner flowing by gravity through one of the openings, and the other of the openings allowing air to flow into the interior of the container. Frequently, but a portion of the contents of a container of the above-described type will be used. When but a portion of the contents of a container is used, a troublesome problem arises as to how the container can be sealed to prevent contamination of the unused portion thereof from foreign material in the ambient atmosphere.
Various devices have been proposed and used to attempt to provide a seal for an opened container, such seals including but not being limited to plastic caps and the like that may be removably mounted on an end portion of the container after openings have been formed therein. However, such sealing devices unduly increase the cost of the container, without providing a truly satisfactory seal. Furthermore, the prior art sealing devices provide no easily usable means to form two spaced openings in an end of a container.
A major object of the present invention is to furnish a device that will overcome the operational disadvantages of prior art seals, and accomplish this object by providing an easy and convenient means of forming two diametrically spaced openings in an end of a container, and the means also serving as a removable seal for the openings after the latter are formed.
Another object of the invention is to supply a combined can opening and sealing device that has a simple mechanical structure, can be fabricated from standard commercially available materials, is simple and easy to use, and may be resaled at a sufficiently low price as to encourage the widespread use thereof.